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Ties between gunman, three of the victims are unclear, police chief says

Shots were still being fired when officers arrived, police spokeswoman says

Five people died late Sunday in shootings at an apartment complex near Seattle, including the gunman who was shot by police, authorities said.

A domestic dispute set off the events, said Brian Wilson, chief of police in Federal Way, Washington.

A man got into a fight with a woman with whom he shared an apartment in the Pinewood apartment complex and fatally shot her, he said. The man then went to the parking lot of the apartment complex and fatally shot two men. The relationship between the gunman and the two victims in the lot is unclear, Wilson said. Wilson did not identify the gunman; it was not clear why the identity was withheld.

The gunman then returned to his apartment and retrieved a shotgun, he said. Neighbors who had heard the gunfire came into the hallway, and the gunman shot and killed one of those neighbors through an apartment door, Wilson said. Police intercepted the man on his way back to the parking lot, the police chief said.

Police ordered the man to drop his weapon, but he refused, so the officers shot him, Wilson said. The man then dropped his weapon, continued to the parking lot and obtained another weapon. Police again ordered him to drop his weapon, he again refused, and police shot and killed him.

Eight officers are on administrative leave, as is standard after officers fire at a suspect, Wilson said. The suspect had a valid concealed weapons permit, he said.

When officers arrived at the scene in the city just south of Seattle, they could still hear gunfire, said police spokeswoman Cathy Schrock. They also saw two men lying wounded in a parking lot.